March 6 - Mary Wilson; Gina Cigna (The Musical Birthday Series, 8th Annual Cycle)

Previous March 6th entries can be found here: Oscar Straus (2019), Norman Treigle (2020), H. C. Robbins Landon (2021), Sarah Caldwell; Julius Rudel; Oscar Straus (2022), Stephen Schwartz (2023), Yannick Nézet-Séguin (2024), and Bob Wills (2025)

++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

Mary Wilson (6 March 1944 –8 February 2021) was an American singer. She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of the Supremes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once a Supreme…

Mary Wilson spent her career

   Rekindling early dreams,

And ever after she'd appear

   As one of The Supremes.

 

 

 

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ 

Gina Cigna (6 February 1900 – 26 June 2001) was a French-Italian dramatic soprano. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Limericks on the Same Rhyme Sounds for Cigna

 

Gina Cigna, who has died aged 101, was a prima donna of the old school, grand in manner. -- The Guardian obit

 

1.

In an era when opera was grand,

And acting could never be bland,

The public was wowed

By a voice that was loud,

And Cigna could swamp any band.

2.

From critics who heard her first hand

We know her theatrical brand.

And we know, when she bowed,

She had stirred up the crowd,

And anything subtle, be damned!

 

 

If you enjoy these posts, please help me, and consider sharing.  [Also, please visit my other blog: Alternate Takes: Great Art Repurposed.] 

 

 

March 5 - Carol Sloane (The Musical Birthday Series, 8th Annual Cycle)

Previous entries for March 5th  can be founded here: Heitor Villa Lobos (2019), Heitor Villa-Lobos (2020), Andy Gibb (2021), Barry Tuckwell; Philip Farkas; Arthur Foote (2022). William Shield (2023), Elaine Paige (2024), and Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse (2025)

++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Carol Sloane (5 March 1937 – 23 January 2023) was an jazz American singer.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If At First

After seemingly being on the verge of stardom, she languished for decades, battered by changing tastes and bad luck, before enjoying a midlife comeback. – New York Times obit

She was described by critics as being one of jazz music's most underrated singers. — Wikipedia

Carol Sloane, whom critics rate

As right up there among the greats,

Had a career that sank, or hovered,

And then, when she was rediscovered,

She'd make LPs when she was able

For this or that new record label.

He swinging style was called appealing,

But she could never break the ceiling

That separates a household name

From those with esoteric fame; ---

A talent that could hold its own,

And though admired, a great unknown

Our birthday girl, Ms. Carol Sloane.

 

 

 

If you enjoy these posts, please help me, and consider sharing.  [Also, please visit my other blog: Alternate Takes: Great Art Repurposed.] 

 

 

March 4 - Charles Dibdin (The Musical Birthday Series, 8th Annual Cycle)

Previous entries for March 4th are here: Antonio Vivaldi (2019), Antonio Vivaldi (2020), Paul Mauriat; Antonio Vivaldi (2021), Antonio Vivaldi; Mario Davidovsky (2022), Antonio Vivaldi; Egbert Van Alstyne (2023), Antonio Vivaldi (2024), and Antonio Vivaldi; Nicolai von Wilm (2025)

++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

Charles Dibdin (bapt. 4 March 1745 – 25 July 1814) was an English composer, musician, dramatist, novelist, singer and actor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Dibs

Dozens of [Dibdin's] songs had the same sort of cultural currency as the Beatles’ songs do now. -- heavily adapted from "Charles Dibdin and Popular Song in the Romantic Period" at www.bars.ac.uk 

'No actor now, or actress, longs

To entertain with Dibdin's songs.

The comic songs of yesteryears

Fall flat when heard by modern ears,

And songs once sure to get a laugh

Now languish silent on the staff;

When every joke and cheeky pun

Must be explained, they've lost their fun.

And songs of faded party schisms

Or patriotic jingoisms

Are apt to lose their salty sting,

And may not be the thing to sing

When erstwhile foes become our friends,

And parties work to different ends.

 

And songs of beaus and yielding lasses,

Which once amused the middle classes,

Have lost their cool erotic kick,

And strike us now as sexist ick.

 

No actor now, or actress, longs

To entertain with Dibdin's songs.

 

 

 

If you enjoy these posts, please help me, and consider sharing.  [Also, please visit my other blog: Alternate Takes: Great Art Repurposed.]

 

 

 

March 3 - Marie Gigot (The Musical Birthday Series, 8th Annual Cycle)

Previous entries for March 3rd can be found here:  Alfred Bruneau (2019),  Henry Wood (2020), and Margaret Bonds (2021), Kazimierz Serocki; Margaret Bonds (2022), Kazimierz Serocki (2023), and Henry Wood (2025)

+++++++++++++++++++

 

Marie Bigot  (3 March 1786 – 16 September 1820) was a French pianist and composer.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connections

[Bigot] was highly accomplished at the piano and played for Haydn.  He wrote on the sheet from which she played, "On 20 February 1805, Joseph Haydn was happy". She also became friendly with Beethoven, who admired her playing. In 1816 she gave lessons to Felix and Fanny in Paris.  – adapted from Wikipedia

Today's the day you'll get to know

A bit about Marie Bigot:

Haydn praised the way she played,

And after such an accolade

It's no surprise to us to read

That Beethoven, in turn, agreed.

Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny,

When young enough to have a nanny,

Took lessons, both the sis and bro,

In Paris from Marie Bigot.

 

 

If you enjoy these posts, please help me, and consider sharing.  [Also, please visit my other blog: Alternate Takes: Great Art Repurposed.] 

 

 

March 2 - Bedřich Smetana (The Musical Birthday Series, 8th Annual Cycle)

Previous entries for March 2nd can be found here: Kurt Weill (2021); Bedřich Smetana (2020); Kurt Weill and Marc Blitzstein (2019), Desi Arnaz (2022), Kurt Weill; Bedřich Smetana (2023), Bedřich Smetana (2024), and Kurt Weill (2025)

++++++++++++++++++++ 

Bedřich Smetana (2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was an important Czech composer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carts and Horses

The overture, often played as a concert piece independently from the opera, was, unusually, composed before almost any of the other music had been written. -- Wikipedia

The charming show that's called The Bartered Bride,

   (The subject of this blog),

Was from the start a source of native pride,

    (And left the Czechs agog).

Its overture, a favorite far and wide,

Whose smash success is amply justified,

Is better known than that to which it's tied, --

   (The tail that wagged the dog).

 

If you enjoy these posts, please help me, and consider sharing.  [Also, please visit my other blog: Alternate Takes: Great Art Repurposed.]